Two days later.
The Hokage election concluded.
As expected, Minato Namikaze was elected as the new Hokage.
This marked his official debut on the historical stage as the Fourth Hokage of Konoha.
As the saying goes, "With a new emperor comes a new court."
Whether others liked it or not, with Hiruzen Sarutobi stepping down as the Third Hokage, many older figures also retired from the village's administration.
In their place, younger individuals entered the center of power, bringing fresh energy to the village. This change even heightened the overall training atmosphere in the village.
Early in the morning, Seimei, after completing his morning routine, stepped out of his house. Just as he planned to grab a bite to eat, he encountered several ninjas heading out early for training.
Their faces radiated hope, and everyone seemed to brim with anticipation for the future.
Seeing this, Seimei shook his head slightly, thinking to himself, If they knew Minato Namikaze would only serve as Hokage for a single year, I wonder how they'd feel.
"Seimei!"
As Seimei was lost in thought, a familiar voice called out from behind.
Turning around, he saw Shisui Uchiha flash into view.
"Shisui! What's up?"
Seimei looked at him curiously.
"Nothing much," Shisui replied, shaking his head. He glanced at Seimei's fully equipped appearance and asked, "Are you heading out for training again?"
"Yeah," Seimei nodded, not hiding it since there was no need to.
Hearing this, Shisui spoke with a hint of admiration in his tone, "You're really dedicated!"
Seimei didn't know how to respond to that, so he quickly changed the subject. "You're up early too! Where are you headed?"
Shisui, like Seimei, was also fully geared up, clearly not out for a casual stroll.
Hearing the question, Shisui's face lit up with the same hopeful smile seen on others. "The Fourth Hokage asked for me. I need to get to him quickly."
"The Fourth? At this hour?"
Seimei glanced at the Hokage's office in the distance, noticing its lights were already on. He remarked, "The Fourth Hokage sure is diligent!"
"Exactly!"
Shisui agreed enthusiastically, sounding every bit like a fanboy.
Seeing Shisui's demeanor, Seimei decided not to say more. "Well, since you have things to do, I won't hold you up. You should get going!"
"Alright!"
Shisui nodded and was about to leave when he suddenly paused. Turning back, he said to Seimei, "By the way, thanks for the help with Danzo!"
Before Seimei could respond, Shisui vanished.
Hearing his parting words, Seimei was momentarily stunned before letting out a chuckle.
Given Shisui's tendency to overthink, Seimei was almost certain Shisui believed he had acted against Danzo for the sake of his clan.
What Shisui didn't know was that Seimei simply wanted Danzo gone and had taken the opportunity to eliminate a problem.
"Oh well."
Watching Shisui's retreating figure, Seimei decided not to explain. Letting him misunderstand might actually help avoid future conflicts between them.
With that thought, Seimei stopped lingering and headed to a breakfast stall. After a hearty meal, he left the village, heading toward the island where he trained.
---
Time passed quickly, and it was soon noon.
Seimei absorbed the experiences and memories of his shadow clones, who had been training over the past hour. These memories helped him convert their efforts into skill mastery.
Finally, his Wind Release: Rasenshuriken had advanced.
Yes, the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken.
After nearly half a month of practice, he had accumulated the last 20,000 points of proficiency needed to perfect the S-rank forbidden jutsu.
Seimei opened his eyes abruptly, a gleam of light flashing in his gaze. His expression betrayed a hint of excitement.
Standing up, he looked around and decided not to unleash the technique on the island.
After all, this island was his training ground. Destroying it just to test a jutsu would be too wasteful.
With that thought, Seimei formed hand seals and activated Wind Release: Wings of Wind and Chakra Cloak. Moving at incredible speed, he flew into the sky and headed toward a different part of the ocean.
He vaguely remembered that there seemed to be a deserted island in that direction, which would be perfect to use as a practice target.
A few minutes later, Seimei arrived near the destination.
Looking ahead, he could see a small island on the sea, about 200 meters long and 50 meters wide. It was barren, with no visible vegetation.
Seimei raised his hand and removed the "Guardian Seal" at the center of his brow. He then focused his energy and activated his Byakugan.
As expected, there were no signs of human presence within a kilometer radius.
Feeling completely at ease, Seimei descended to the surface of the sea. He gathered chakra under his feet, forming a stable layer, and stood firmly about a hundred meters away from the deserted island.
Next, he gathered a large amount of chakra, formed hand seals, and unleashed a jutsu—Wind Release: Rasenshuriken!
In an instant, the sound of air being torn and friction erupted.
A sharp, piercing sound seemed to penetrate his eardrums and reach his brain, causing Seimei to furrow his brows slightly.
He gazed at the giant, rapidly spinning chakra shuriken hovering above his right palm. It felt as though he were holding an extremely dangerous bomb.
The chakra contained within it was incredibly violent, as if it could explode at any moment.
However, that was merely an illusion.
Seimei extended his perception, carefully sensing the structure within, and found it to be extraordinarily stable. To put it bluntly, it was far more stable than at any previous time.
Its outward appearance of chaos and instability was purely due to the immense amount of chakra concentrated within, making it look wildly volatile.
In reality, Seimei could even stop the jutsu at this point and slowly retract the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken into his palm.
With the help of Chakra Absorption, he could recover at least 70% of the chakra used.
This was the power of mastering level 10 (0/0)—a realm entirely beyond the reach of level 9.
"No wonder it required a full 100,000 proficiency points. Worth it!" Seimei muttered.
He slightly turned his body, creating an approximately 30-degree angle between himself and the deserted island ahead.
Then, with a swift motion, he hurled the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken in his hand.
In the next moment, the massive chakra shuriken spun through the air, carving a crescent-shaped trail across the sea before landing precisely on the deserted island.
Boom!
A deafening explosion echoed.
The distant island was struck and erupted in a violent blast.
A powerful tremor traveled through the seawater, and as the dust and smoke settled, the island was visibly diminished. It looked as if a huge bite had been taken out of it.